Morsi: Egypt will not be dictated by US rules

Source: The Associated Press

On the eve of his first visit to the United States as Egypt's president, Mohammed Morsi said he will demonstrate more independence from the U.S. in decision-making than his predecessor Hosni Mubarak and told Washington not to expect Egypt to live by its rules.

Morsi sent that message in an interview with the New York Times after a wave of violence erupted across the Muslim world over an amateur film produced in the U.S. that was deemed offensive to Islam and its prophet Muhammed. The film raised news tensions between Washington and Egypt.

Morsi criticized U.S. dealings with the Arab world, saying it is not possible to judge Egyptian behaviour and decision-making by American cultural standards. He said Washington earned ill will in the region in the past by backing dictators and taking "a very clear" biased approach against the Palestinians and for Israel.

"Successive American administrations essentially purchased with American taxpayer money the dislike, if not the hatred, of the peoples of the region," he told the paper in the interview published late Saturday, drawing a clear distinction between the American government and the American people.

7. "Successive American administrations essentially purchased with American taxpayer money....

Egypt's peace with Israel!

Disgusting revisionism. Stop all $$ going to this region.

"Successive American administrations essentially purchased with American taxpayer money the dislike, if not the hatred, of the peoples of the region," he told the paper in the interview published late Saturday, drawing a clear distinction between the American government and the American people.

9. Since leftists seem to be against the "Arab Spring",

11. leader-on-a-string playing to the crowd with hollow rhetoric?

It might be nice if he was even 1% serious with such remarks, but both the history of collaboration by the Brotherhood and the acquiescience of the Egyptian state which it nominally governs strongly suggests against taking such statements of his at face value.